Augustus is Vrouemaand, en Weskus Nuus<\/i> het met \u2019n paar besonderse plaaslike vroue gesels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vandeesweek het Chrizelle Isaacs haar ervaring gedeel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Grootword in Atlantis en die pad na universiteit<\/b>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My ouerhuis is in Sherwood Park. My ma woon nog daar. Ek was by Saxonsea Prim\u00ear en in graad 3 het die skool ons op \u2019n uitstappie na die Wesfleur-biblioteek geneem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek was verlief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek het onmiddellik by die biblioteek aangesluit, en is steeds \u2019n lid! Van daardie oomblik af het niks anders verder vir my bestaan nie \u2013 nie armoede, tienerswangerskappe, geslagsgebaseerde geweld, seksuele mishandeling of enige van die sosio-ekonomiese probleme wat die orde van die dag in my gemeenskap was nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die boeke het my op reise na verre plekke weggevoer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My liefde vir boeke en lees het gewys ek was een van die beter presteerders by Saxonsea Prim\u00ear ten spyte van die feit dat albei by ouers voldag moes werk. Ek moes dus verantwoordelik wees om my jonger sussie voor skool kleuterskool toe te neem en terugkeer na \u2019n huis waar jy die sleutel by die buurvrou moes kry en na jouself moes omsien totdat Mamma van die werk af kom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek het my ho\u00ebrskoolloopbaan by Saxonsea Sekond\u00ear begin en in graad 10, net voor een van my eksamens, het bendelede oor die draad gespring en wild met \u2019n bofbalkolf onder ons begin slaan. Ek kan nog onthou hoe ek huil-huil eers my biologie-vraestel klaar geskryf het voordat ek dokter toe is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daarna het ek my ouers oorreed om my by Ho\u00ebrskool Swartland in te skryf aangesien my pa in Malmesbury gewerk het. My onderhandeling met hulle was dat ek my Saxonsea-skoolklere aan my vriende sou verkoop en die geld sou gebruik om tweedehandse klere by die nuwe skool te koop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dit was net n\u00e1 1994 en die dinamika by die skool was moeilik vir kinders wat uit agtergeblewe gemeenskappe kom. As eerstegenerasiestudent moes jy jou eie pad baan en jou eie weg kry. Ek het gesukkel om aan te pas en het weer eens my ouers oorreed om my in my matriekjaar terug Atlantis toe te skuif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek het in 1998 my ho\u00ebrskoolloopbaan by Proteus Tegniese Ho\u00ebrskool as een van hul topstudente voltooi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek het altyd geweet ek is gebore vir meer en dat ek bo my omstandighede sou uitstyg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My toekoms in Atlantis was in daardie stadium om op \u2019n jong ouderdom swanger te raak of om in \u2019n fabriek te eindig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my ouerhuis is nooit oor toekomsplanne of studies gepraat nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die lewe het my ouers op \u2019n harde manier geleer om net \u2019n bestaan te maak. Die siening was as \u2019n vrou sou jy \u2019n man kry wat vir jou sal sorg, al is dit \u2019n man wat jou mishandel en jou nie as lewensmaat respekteer nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek kan die menige debatte tussen my en my pa onthou. My pa het altyd ges\u00ea matriek is al klaar te ver vir \u2019n vrou om te leer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Toekomsplanne word gemaak<\/b>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my matriekjaar wou ek by die Kaapse Technikon (nou die Kaapse Skiereiland Universiteit van Tegnologie) aansoek doen om te studeer. Realisties het ek geweet universiteite was buite my finansi\u00eble bereik. Ek het egter niemand gehad wat my anders kon adviseer nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ja, ons is op skool geleer wat jy eendag kan word, maar selfs die onderwysers het \u2019n kyk in hulle o\u00eb gehad wat gewys het dit was net nog \u2019n onderwerp en daar was nie regtig hoop is nie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek is egter by \u2019n loopbaan-uitstalling by die Skiereilandse Technikon aan siviele ingenieurswese blootgestel. Die idee van deel wees van infrastruktuur-ontwerp en -bou en terselfdertyd mense se lewensgehalte verbeter terwyl jy wiskunde ook doen, het my baie ge\u00efnteresseer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek het aansoek gedoen om vorms by die technikon te kry. Ek is deur al keuring. Vir finale keuring moes ek R500 saamstuur . . . wat ek waar sou kry? Ek het besluit om nie moed op te gee nie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek het besluit om \u2019n pleitbriefie na my ma se destydse werkgewer, Elvinco Plastics, te skryf om hulle vir die geld te vra. My skoolrapport is saam. En hulle het my \u2019n tjek gestuur, uitgemaak aan die Technikon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek is seker dat wie ook al besluit het om die geld goed te keur, nie besef het wat die impak daarvan jare later sou wees nie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toe ek my laaste matriekvraestel skryf, was \u2019n telefoonnommer met \u2019n vakansiewerknota by die skool opgeplak. S\u00f3 het ek my eerste vakansiewerk by Ratanga Junction gekry \u2013 \u2019n werk wat my verdere lewensvaardighede geleer en ook die finansi\u00eble druk op my ouers tydens my eerste jaar se studies verlig het.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek het my studies begin en moes aansoek doen vir \u2019n beurs om met die finansiering te help. Waar sou my hulp vandaan kom? Een van my vriendinne se ouers het \u2019n katalogus gehad met \u2019n klomp kontrakteurs se detail in. Weer eens het ek briefies geskryf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wonder bo wonder het \u2019n maatskappy my teruggebel. Hulle het my in \u2019n onderhoud \u2019n beurs aangebied met \u2019n toelae vir boeke en reis plus \u2019n permanente pos nadat ek my studies voltooi het. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Klippe kou tussen die manne<\/b>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek is nou al 18 jaar by die maatskappy \u2013 steeds \u2019n maatskappy waar ek geleentheid kry om te groei. Deur hierdie geleentheid is ek vandag deel van projekte in dele van ons land waaroor ek destyds net in aardrykskundeboeke gelees het! (Dit is alles) projekte wat tot Suid-Afrika se ekonomiese groei bydra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek word ook ten volle ondersteun met my projek om vroue in landelike gebiede blootstelling te gee deur hulle te bemagtig om deel van spoorwegkonstruksie te wees \u2013 \u2019n deel van konstruksie wat deur mans oorheers was as gevolg van die soort konstruksiemateriaal wat gebruik moet word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dit bemagtig die vroue indirek deur \u2019n uitweg te bied om uit verhoudings met geslaggebaseerde geweld te kom omdat hulle nou hul eie geld verdien.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uitdagings was daar baie. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2019n Spesifieke voorbeeld is waar ek een dag op \u2019n perseel besig was toe die menslikehulpbronnebestuurder my bel \u2013 dit was glo my beurt om die telefoon te beantwoord terwyl die ontvangsdame op ete was. Ek het ges\u00ea ek sal met graagte uithelp as al my manlike tegniese kollegas ook \u2019n beurt kry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dit was die einde van daai gesprek. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek was vir baie lank die enigste vrou \u2013 en enigste vrou van kleur \u2013 wat instruksies moes uitgee. Dit het nie altyd goed afgegaan nie en ek moes my op die maatskappy se beleid beroep, maar ook my eie menseverhoudinge opknap. As vrou moet ek ook drie keer harder werk om te \u201cbewys\u201d dat ek bevoeg genoeg is. Ek het vroeg geleer om my mond oop te maak. My gunsteling was om te vra of mans en vroue dan verskillende vraestelle skryf terwyl ons studeer indien ons dan nou verskillend behandel moet word. Ek het ook my eie krag besef toe \u2019n mede-kontrakteur seksuele kommentaar op \u2019n werkperseel teenoor my gemaak het.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek het hom gaan verkla en hy is onmiddellik van die werkplek af verwyder. Die aantal vroue wat ingenieurswese as beroep beoefen, is baie minder as di\u00e9 wat gradueer \u2013 juis as gevolg van redes soos hierdie. Ek is vandag die mees senior vrou wat in beheer is van spoorweg-instandhouding en konstruksie van nuwe spoorlyne in my afdeling. Ek oorsien \u2019n geografiese gebied van 1 600 km met 40 permanente werknemers en in piektyd sowat 1 000 kontrakwerknemers wat deel van my span is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek is ook \u2019n mentor vir vroue in ingenieurswese en is by die Ingenieursraad van Suid-Afrika as \u2019n professionele kenner in my veld geregistreer. Ek het die voorreg om my passie vir die ingenieurswese en mense terselfdertyd uit te leef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dit is nie maklik om altyd op te staan teen ander se verwagting van jou nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My grootste kompliment was toe my jonger sussie my jare later kom bedank en ges\u00ea het as ek nie die norm van ons huishouding uitgedaag het nie, sou sy ook nooit gedink het sy mag studeer nie. Vandag is sy een van die min vrouekapteins in diens van die Departement van Korrektiewe Dienste.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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